U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, have discussed a possible third U.N. sanctions resolution against Iran.
Burns said they agreed in the meeting in Vienna Thursday to support moving forward with more sanctions should Iran not suspend its uranium enrichment activities.
The U.S. official is expected at a meeting Friday in London among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany to discuss possible broader sanctions.
Also Thursday, Iranian officials ended a round of talks in Tehran with the IAEA on the disputed nuclear program. Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Javad Vaeedi said Tehran had answered all the questions raised by IAEA officials, and said both sides are satisfied with the results of the four days of talks.
Iranian state media quote Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying European nations risk damaging their ties with Iran by following the United States in trying to impose sanctions against Iraq.
The United States and its allies accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, a charge Iran denies.
In Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert urged visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to support tougher sanctions against Iran. Steinmeier said Germany has not ruled out the possibility of pursuing European or U.N. sanctions against Iran.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
